John chanteell



(N M m ANTRELL.

FILE HANDLE.

' No. 337,245. Patented Mar. 2, 1886;

JOHN CHANTRELL, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE READING HARDWARE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FILE-HANDLE.

$PECIEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 337,245, dated March 2. 1886.

Application filed October 5. 1885. Serial No. 178,985.

.To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN CHANTRELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Heading, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in File-Handles; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to simplify and improve the construction of this class of devices, to produce in brief a tool-handle that will readily grasp the tang of a file or similar tool, and hold it so firmly that'it cannot possibl y be drawn out except in the proper manner, while at the same time, by rotating the sheath, the tool may be instantly removed and another one substituted in its place.

With this end in view I have devised the simple and novel construction which I will now describe, referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the handle complete, showing the manner in which the tang of a file or similar tool is grasped; Fig. 2, a front elevation of the jaws; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the sheath detached, the jaws differing somewhat from those shown in Fig. l, and being shown as grasping the tang of a file; and Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the jaws as in Fig. 3, the tang of the tile being in section to show the manner in which it is grasped by the jaws, this being my preferred form.

The entire device consists of but three parts, or, more properly, two.

A is the body of the handle, which is provided with a central opening, B, extending down into the handle, and with a ferrule, O, at the end which receives the sheath. This ferrule is curved over the end of the handle, and extends some distance downinto the central opening, as will be again referred to.

The other portion of the device consists of a sheath, D,-having an external screw-thread, as at L, to engage the body of the handle, and a central opening, E, extending through it from end to end, the wholeor a portion of which is made to correspond in cross-section with the tang or shank of the file or other (No model.)

tool which it is to receive, so that the latter will not turn in the sheath.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the entire sheath is shown as embracing the tang closely, while in Fig. 3 the lower end only of the sheath embraces the tang closely.

F represents spring -jaws, which I have shown as made in a single piece with the sheath. As shown in Fig. 2, the inner sides of the jaws are fiat,and are provided with two ormore teeth or projections, G, while in Figs. 3 and 4 the jaws are shown as arched inward slightly and provided with edges H. In both forms the teeth or edges are shown in engagement with corresponding depressions,l, in the tang of the 'tool. These depressions may or may not be made in thetang itselfirrespective of the handle. Itis not necessary, however, for any depressions to be made in the tang in the manufacture, as the jaws themselves will make them.

The operation is as follows: Suppose that a file is to be placed in the handle. The sheath is loosened sufficiently to allow the tang to be fully inserted. The sheath is then turned into the handle until inclines M engage the ferrule and force the cutting edges or teeth.

upon the jaws to makenicks or depressions in the tang. Then these impressions are once made in the tang, they may be readily engaged again without further trouble. K rep resents flattened places at the ends of the j aws by which they may be engaged by a wrench to turn the sheath into the handle, should it be necessary in cutting the nicks or depress ions ina new file or other tool.

It will of course be apparent that in changing the file or other tool it is simply necessary to turn the sheath out far enough so that the jaws will spring apart and release the tang. To insert a tool,the tang is simply forcedinto the sheath as far as it will go and the sheath turned into the handle until the ferrule, acting upon inclines M on the backs of the jaws, forces them into engagement with the tang, the edges or teeth upon the jaws resting in corresponding depressions in the tang.

The details of construction may of course be varied within reasonable limits without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim- 1 1. A tool-handle consisting,essentially,of a

part, A, having a central opening, and a sheath and pair of spring-jaws, the sheath having a central opening corresponding in cross-section with the tang of atool, whereby the latter is kept from turning, and the jaws having an edge or teeth to make or engage depressions in the tool-tang, and external inclines which engage part A,wherehy they are closed against the tang.

2. A tool-handle consisting of a part, A, having a central opening with a ferrule turned over the outer end and into said opening entirely around it, and a sheath having an external screw thread, a central opening extending through it COI'IGSPOUdlHg in cross-section with the tang of a tool, and jaws made integral Witnesses:

G120. A. HICKMAN, ISAAC R. FISHER. 

